建国史话(133)：亚瑟总统任内争议不断

choi

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VOA Chinese, Sept. 24, 2010.
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/US/20100924-MAKING-OF-THE-NATION-103742954.html
("亚瑟总统遇到的另一个问题是，政府每年获得的收入超过了支出所需。当时，美国政
府的绝大部分收入来自进口关税。每年，关税带来的财政收入比政府所需的资金多出一
亿美元。")

Note:
(a) 詹姆士．加菲尔德总统 James A. Garfield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Garfield
(1831-1881; his presidency from March 4, 1881 until his death on September
19, 1881, a brief 200 days in office; Republican; born in Ohio; section 6
Assassination)
(b) Chester A. Arthur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_A._Arthur
(1829-1886; president 1881-1885; Arthur's primary achievement was the
passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which earned him the
moniker "The Father of Civil Service")

His sketch in White House website indicates he was part of machine politics
before he was elevated to presidency.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/chesterarthur
("President Grant in 1871 appointed him Collector of the Port of New York.
Arthur effectively marshalled the thousand Customs House employees under his
supervision on behalf of Roscoe Conkling's Stalwart Republican machine.
("Honorable in his personal life and his public career, Arthur nevertheless
was a firm believer in the spoils system when it was coming under vehement
attack from reformers. He insisted upon honest administration of the Customs
House, but staffed it with more employees than it needed, retaining them
for their merit as party workers rather than as Government officials.")

(c) The VOA report says 他此前从来没有担任过公职. It is untrue. See

Roscoe Conkling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscoe_Conkling
(section 4 Relationship with Chester Arthur: Conkling and Arthur were so
intimately associated that it was feared, after President James A. Garfield
was assassinated, that the killing had been done at Conkling's behest in
order to install Arthur as president.)

Through Conkling's patronage, Arthur got two jobs:
(i) chief counsel to the New York City Tax Commission (1869-1970) and
(ii) Collector of the Port of New York (1871-1878; appointed by President
Ulysses S. Grant).
(d) 詹姆士．布莱恩 James G. Blaine, who was secretary of state when Pres.
Garfield was assassinated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_G._Blaine
(e) 格罗弗．克利夫兰 Grover Cleveland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Cleveland
(section 3.2 Campaign against Blaine)

"妈妈！妈妈！我的爸爸在哪？他到白宫去了，哈哈哈！”
"Ma, Ma, where's my Pa? Gone to the White House. Ha, ha, ha."

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